Oops. Really should update this thing a little more often. In reality I am about to start listening to the BBC CD of series 4 serial 3 yet here I am just getting around to uploading my oppinions on series 2.
Running total so far:
144 episodes out of 789
040 of which were recons
017 of which were audio recordings
Planet of Giants
Due to an inflight accident of some type the Tardis and its crew are shrunk to around one sixtieth of their proper size and over the course of 3 episodes find themselves involved with a not that interesting story of murder and industrial fraud.
A somewhat atypical start to season 2 this story appears to be universally disliked. On the down side the plotting is sluggish even by early Who standards. There is no interaction between the Tardis crew and the real size cast and Barbara is uncharacteristicly thick. On the plus side the sets and model work is perhaps the best seen in 60's.
5.5 out of 10
The Dalek Invasion of Earth
I guess this Dalek story is just as important as the first in that if it had flopped that would have been the end of our pepper pot inspired friends as far as Who was concerned.
Having decimated the Earth's population by bombarding it with plague carrying meteorites the Daleks embark on an ambitious plan to hollow out the planets core and convert it into a giant Death Star type intergalactic killing machine.
Though it has it's slack moments (such as the Tardis crew spending 15 minutes of the first episode not noticing the 8 foot tall “Do not dump dead bodies in the Thames” poster behind them) this story is a vast improvement over “The Daleks” and rattles on a reasonable rate of knots.
7 out of 10
The Rescue
2 part filler story designed to introduce new companion Vikki (not to confused with Victoria who turns up in series 4) who's turned up as the replacement for Susane who left at the end of the previous story.
The Doctor, Iain and Barbara save Vikki from an an alien meanie by running away. That's it. On the plus side the bad guy's mask is really rather good and must have looked pretty creepy when first seen in old 410 PAL. On the downside Barbara has another uncharactaristic thick momment where she shoots Vikki's pet alien crocodile slug thing dead despite Vikki literaly screaming down her ear not to so.
6 out of 10
The Romans
Only two of the 9 so called historical stories made between 1963 and 1966 are still complete in the BBC archives (“The Time Meddler” doesn't count due to its overt SF elements), this and “The Aztecs” being the two.
The Tardis lands in the times of the Roman empire where the Doctor and his companions take residence in an abandoned villa. The Doctor finds himself mistaken for a famous lyre player and sent off to Rome itself to play for the Emperor.
Apparently criticized at the time for it's overtly humorous approach this story has since went on to become a firm fan favourite and I can see why. Though perhaps not quite as good as “The Aztecs” or the lost stories “The Myth Makers” and “The Massacre” this four parter is almost as good as surviving Hartnel stories get.
8.5 out of 10
The Web Planet
I think I adore this story as it is genuinely odd, darn right weird even and contains probably the only “death by sticking your arse in a hole to stop everybody else drowning in a flood of acid” scene in TV history. Then I actually sit down and watch the darn thing again.
The Tardis lands on the planet Vortis and the crew get caught up in war between the Zarbi (giant ants) and Menoptra (giant butterflies). This goes for 6 intermittently interesting but lovely to look at episodes. All episodes contains almost continuous use of the most hated sound effect in Doctor Who history.
6.5 out of 10
